New Venture Shows Business How To Raise Its Game On Sustainability

Ashridge InterfaceRAISE aims to cut years off companies’ sustainable journey - and stay ahead of legislation.

A unique joint consultancy service is launched today with the aim of helping businesses to find practical ways of accelerating performance based on sustainability principles.

Ashridge InterfaceRAISE brings together the vast experience and know-how of global flooring company InterfaceFLOR - pioneers in sustainable business practice and ranked number one of Globescan’s Survey of Sustainability Experts worldwide – and the skills in change management, challenging and engaging of leading business school Ashridge.

Karin Laljani, Senior Vice President InterfaceFLOR comments: “If your business is still viewing sustainability as a constraint and not an opportunity to grow and cut costs, we would like to demonstrate an opposite view. Over the past 13 years Interface has generated $336 million (USD) in avoided costs and top line growth as a result of sound sustainable business practice. We are in a unique position to show how other businesses could emulate this success, in a way that is specific to their organisations’ culture and business drivers.”

Anthony Kasozi, Ashridge Consulting, adds: “Sustainability as a strategic issue involves radical organisational and personal change. That is where Ashridge InterfaceRAISE can challenge, support and enable new thinking – especially around those areas where it is commonly assumed that changes simply can’t be made.”

Ashridge InterfaceRAISE launches at a time when companies are actively seeking direction in progressing their sustainable journeys. The consultancy will work with organisations to ensure they are embracing change as opposed to being driven by increasing legislation in this area.

This approach has already proved successful in the US, where InterfaceRAISE has helped the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart to fundamentally change the way they work and reap the business benefits: doing well by doing good.

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Notes to editor:
Ashridge Consulting is a subsidiary of Ashridge business school, providing innovative consultancy to organisations (private, public and charitable sectors) from around the world that are undergoing organisational development and change. It is committed to the development of professional organisation consultants and coaches, offering both a Masters (AMOC) and a Doctoral programme (ADOC) in Organisation Consulting and a Masters (AMEC) in Executive Coaching.

Date issued: 31 January 2008